Nearly a decade ago, we set out to build a home for a new category of innovation: Tough Tech. Today, The Engine stands at the center of a growing movement in support of companies solving society’s greatest challenges through breakthrough science and engineering. Our evolution into a non-profit organization will enable us to extend our mission, maximize our impact, and unlock new ways of supporting Tough Tech companies.
The Engine was spun out of MIT in 2016 to fill a critical gap for founders working to scale breakthrough ideas into transformative companies. We have worked alongside more than 800 founders and researchers from over 120 institutions who have collectively raised over $5.5 Billion and created more than 500 jobs this year alone. We believe in the profound impact that these Tough Tech companies can have in our world and are working to accelerate them towards that impact.
Since our founding, we’ve supported companies building market-ready solutions for some of the world's most urgent challenges in climate, health, and advanced systems—including:
Technologies like these have the power to redefine industries and build a more sustainable, healthier world. Yet without the right infrastructure, resources, and translational support, they risk stalling in the critical valley between discovery and scale. That’s where The Engine comes in.
Today, we are proud to mark a new chapter: The Engine is now a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. This pivotal evolution will enable us to maximize our impact, better serve the needs of the Tough Tech community, and create a sustainable home for transformative ideas to find the mission-critical resources, expertise, and ecosystem they need to thrive.
As an organization, we learn from and with the teams we serve, help scale the most promising ideas into sustainable, resilient companies, and show the world what is possible when ambition meets patient, purpose-built support.
As we grow into this next phase, we are expanding our impact through:
In-person and virtual entrepreneurial programming, reaching more than 800 Tough Tech founders
Purpose-built infrastructure, including over 200,000ft² of state-of-the-art lab and fabrication spaces in Cambridge, MA
Convening a powerful network of investors, philanthropists, policymakers, corporate leaders, and entrepreneurs
Leading-edge thought leadership shaping policies, investment, and public understanding of Tough Tech’s transformative potential
At its core, our work is about building pathways to empower the next generation of researchers, engineers, and visionaries to create not just companies, but entirely new sectors that will define the future.
But we cannot do it alone. Whether you are a founder, philanthropist, investor, policymaker — or all of the above — we invite you to join us.
Together, we can build a more sustainable, resilient, and prosperous world.
With gratitude,
Emily Knight
President & CEO, The Engine
Making an Impact: Lydian
Lydian developed a way to decarbonize aviation by recycling CO2 emissions. But like many breakthroughs, this tech could have never left the lab. As an early participant in The Engine’s Blueprint program, the team gained the expertise to turn the concept into a viable product. In 2025, in their third year in Residency at The Engine, Lydian launched a pilot plant capable of generating 25 gallons of carbon-neutral fuel per day.
Learn More
General inquiries: hello@engine.xyz
Philanthropic inquiries: frances@engine.xyz
Sponsorship inquiries: alexa@engine.xyz